


Not too late for FULCA.

by Readingfanfics



Series: Prompts [64]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Confessions, First Kiss, Guilt and Forgiveness, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Past Suicide Attempt, Post-Hogwarts, Talking, animal carer draco, consulting auror harry, magical problem featuring owls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-09 23:48:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15278916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Readingfanfics/pseuds/Readingfanfics
Summary: “Why are you here?”“I need help with an animal situation. Apparently, you're the number one person to go to when their pets are in trouble."It's been four years after the war. Draco has moved on, leaving the Wizarding World behind till an enemy from the past shows up on his doorstep to ask for help. But was he really an enemy to begin with?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shey84](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shey84/gifts).



> This is being gifted to Shey84 because they were very nice and supportive of an earlier Drarry ficlet and said they looked forward to reading other works of mine. That comment made me start this fic so thank you Shey84! 
> 
> The prompt line was "There was nothing left of the money except" (And the story sort of got away with me.)

**Not too late for fulca.**

**\--Chapter 1--**

 

**There was nothing left of the money except** the small amount he'd needed to get out of the Mansion and into a flat in Muggle London. It had taken Draco four years but he'd made a life for himself that wasn't connected to his family name and the fortune it had come with after both his parents had died. His father had soon given up in Azkaban and nobody could be sure if it was a natural heart-attack or if something or someone had helped Lucion along to the other side faster.

His mother had followed a two years later, never really recovering from the shame and grief. Cause Draco was sure his mother had grieved, over his father, their lives, all the blood on their hands. Afterward, there had been no reason to stay. His house hadn't felt like a home in a long time and with the passing of his mother the last warmth had fled the mansion, making Draco feel miserable and completely alone. No money in the world could replace it and he'd donated what was left of the family fortune to local charities that cared for the victims of the war. Of course anonymously, after the trial he'd kept a very low profile and even the flat he lived in now was not on his real name. Not that Muggles knew anything about him but there were other wizards that preferred living here after the war and Draco didn't need the hate owls and sneak attacks here too.

He'd gone on with his life, not really sure what to do now but he'd found a job at a pet store and soon figured out he wasn't bad in dealing with animals. One thing let to the other and then a lucky encounter had changed his life forever. Who would have thought Harry Potter himself would walk into Draco's life and change it for the better?

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“Word went around. Apparently, you're the number one person to go to when their pets are in trouble. Wasn't too hard to track you down, even if you don't use magic anymore.” Harry had given him a strange look and Draco noticed the lines around his mouth and the small scar near his right eye.

“Why are you here?”

“I need help with an animal situation and I came to give you this back.” Harry had held out Draco's old wand and just seeing it had made his stomach do a flip.

“It's yours. You should have it.”

Harry's voice had been apologetic, eyes closely taking in Draco's reaction and he'd needed another second or two to get himself together and take the wand in his hands. Instantly he felt like a missing piece was slotted into place, body going warm and he stumbled out a word of thanks. His hands were shaking and of course, Potter had noticed, eyes staying on Draco's left wrist.

There wasn't anything to see, he always made sure he was wearing long sleeves and a patch to cover his mark but he couldn't stop the flinch as Potter reached out a hand, stopping mid* movement before pulling it back.

“Is it true you-” Harry had stopped, looking over Draco's shoulder before meeting his gaze and Draco had held his breath, dread settling inside him as the unspoken words screamed in the air.

_You tried to cut it out and almost killed yourself?_

That had been a month after the trial when his father was still screaming murder over the unfairness of his life and him and his mother were just trying to hold on long enough to survive the day. It seemed every wizard in the world had things to say about them and none of the letters were good. After a while they just burned them the moment they came in, not even bothering to open them. It had taken a toll on his mother, wathcing her get smaller every day. It had broken his heart but he couldn't help her. Just looking at him reminded his mother of all that had happend, all they'd lost and after a while the idea settled into his mind that the world would be better of without him.

The mark was a representation of everything he hated about himself, everything he'd done wrong and the blood that was on his hands from all his foolish mistakes. He didn't plan to kill himself, not really. He just wanted the mark gone, maybe have a chance to start again where nobody knew who he was and what he'd done.

His mother had found him just in time and he hated her for a long time after it.

“ _You should have just let me die.”_

“ _Never. You are the only good thing I'v ever done Draco. I will never,_ never _, be ashamed of you.”_

They'd both cried that day, Draco clinging to his mother as if he was a little child again and things had been better after that. That's why his mother's passing had been such a shock. She'd seemed happy and alive for the first time in forever but the universe could be cruel, taking people away for no reason. Just bad luck.

“Hermione thinks she has found a way to remove it. I could get you into contact with her if, if that's something you would like.” Draco had snapped out of his thoughts by Harry's words. The man was looking into Draco's eyes and Draco had pocketed his wand, resisting the urge to scratch his mark. Trying to cut it out hadn't helped at all, it was still there, now accompanied with the scars of the knife he'd used.

“Why would she help me? Why would you? And why would you need my help with an animal related problem? The animals I work with are not magical.”

“That's not what I've heard.” Harry gave the beginning of a smile as Draco felt his face get warmer. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, trying to ignore Harry's triumphant look.

“That was a one time thing.” Draco shrugged a shoulder as Harry lifted an eyebrow.

“Cut the crap, Draco. I know you're Arham Ekras. The famed Magizoologist that stopped the Nundus attack without killing the animals? The one that banned the Billywigs drugs production?”

“I.” Draco hadn't been able to speak as Harry listed of all the things he'd done under a fake name. These days he couldn't recall how it all had begun but somehow he'd made a name for himself as a Magizoologist. He still worked with non magical animals mostly, but from time to time a special job would come in and he'd be gone for days or weeks. He still didn't trust the Minastry 100%, but he did trust Luna and they both had the same interests and love for animals. Though it had taken Draco years to find his passion and make a living of it.

“I'm not an idiot, Draco. And no,” Harry had shaken his head, holding up his hands, “Luna didn't tell me anything. I just pieced it together. Took me 6 months to be sure and now-”

“Now you're here.”

Harry had nodded and Draco had turned to sit down on a kitchen chair, hearing the man follow him. He gestured for the man to sit down when Harry didn't move and suddenly the absurdity of the situation became clear to Draco. _Who'd have thought I'd sit down with Harry Potter after all these years and we'd be civil?_

Potter had testified on his trial, something Draco hadn't understood for a long time. He'd causes so much sorry and pain. He'd made Harry's life hell whenever he saw an oppertunity and still the man had stood in front of the whole Wizamogant and asked for kindness. His mother had sent a letter some time after, thanking Harry for what he'd done. She'd gotten one back and Draco had never dared to ask what was in it.

“There have been some owl attacks attacks lately. Mostly in wizard London but there have been reports of incidents here too. Have you heard anything about this?”

“No.” Draco frowned, removing an imaginary speck of dust from the kitchentable. “ But it's not the first time wizards have caught owls. I don't see why that's-”

“No,” Harry stopped him, face serious and Draco felt his heart skip a beat as those green eyes focused on him intensly. “It's not wizards attacking owls. It's the other way around.”

“That's not possible.” Draco shook his head. Owls didn't start confrontations, by the first sign of trouble they flew away. He was about to say as much when Harry pulled out his wand and before Draco could even tense up, an image came to life of a lonely sidestreet in Diagon Alley in the early evening. A man was walking away from them slowly,carrying a bag in one hand. Then, out of nowhere, a group of at least 15 owls appeared and attacked the man. Draco's mouth fell open as the man tried to fight them out, bag already forgotten on the ground as the birds came after him again and again. Draco couldn't hear the screams but the images were enough to know that the man was terrified, trying to get up and run, always being pushed back down by the angry birds. It footage ended with the man lying on the pavement, grocery bag not far from him, his clothes ripped to pieces, blood spatters and feathers everywhere.

“This was from three days ago. The Ministry is trying to keep it quite for now but more reports have come in. This isn't normal owl behavior, Draco. You probably know that better then me.” Harry pocketed his wand and Draco nodded slowly, still in shock by what he'd seen. There was nothing normal about that.

“We need your help. I need your help. Before panick starts to kick in and people take matters into their own hands. For now it's only the Tawny owl that seems to be effected. I don't want to wait around till it spreads to the other species.”

“Okay.” Draco blinked, the image of the man trying to fight off the owls still on his mind. He'd never seen anything like this, whatever it was it wasn't normal and Draco could only imagine what people would do if things got out of hand even more.

“Okay, I'll help you. What's your plan?” He noticed the flash of surprise on Harry's face before the man gave a smile, standing up and offering Draco his hand. Draco took it after a second of hesitation, his brain regestiring that Harry's hand was warm but rough, a clear sign the man wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

He swallowed, face warming up as flashes of him and a naked Harry came to mind and his heart skipped a beat when he turned his head and Harry smiled at him, a glimmer in his green eyes. He felt a light squeeze on his hand before Harry spoke, excitement clear in his voice.

“I'm glad you asked. Ready for a new adventure, Arham Ekras?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**\--Chapter 2--**

**The victim had tried to write something as he was dying** but it hadn't made any sense to Draco or Harry. By the time they'd figured it out, there had been 5 more dead bodies found, hundreds of people injured and traumatized. In the end, it was Luna that lead them in the right direction, having heard about a new animal healer. It took them another week to piece it all together and by then the whole Wizarding world was upside down. Mobs of wizards going after owls and other birds of prey, burning them in large numbers, animal shelters and stores were being threatened and attacked. Family pets being stolen and killed. It was crazy and Draco and Harry worked almost full stop to fix it. Of course, by the time it was fixed, the damage had already been done, to both humans and animals alike and putting the mastermind behind bars wasn't as satisfying as Draco had wanted it to be.

“Dammit!”

“Draco, calm down.”

“How can I be calm, Harry?! Look at this!” Draco snapped, gesturing towards the large collection of owls they'd confiscated. The smells made Draco want to throw up, hearing the birds fly around, trying to get out of there, terrified by everything they saw and smelled. Some of them had lost a whole bunch of feathers, others were starving and it hurt Draco's heart seeing them like this.

“He's a bloody idiot!”

The idiot was ArturMacDhubhaig. He'd wanted to 'claim back the world for the weak', using owls to attack wizards that had done him wrong. Unfortunately, the poison he'd used wasn't stable and the owls had soon turned lethal, not obeying commands and attacking any human they say. It was a miracle not more people had been killed.

“I know Draco, but can you please stop yelling. It won't help now.” Harry came closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder but Draco shrugged it off before stepping outside again. He couldn't breathe in there and he closed his eyes, weariness making it hard for him not to cry. It all seems so pointless. Those poor creatures hadn't done anything wrong, they'd been used and manipulated but a large part of the owl population was now gone, mass hysteria doing its work. It would take years, maybe more, for people to forget this and see owls as the wonderful, intelligent creatures they truly were.

“Draco?” He flinched by Harry's voice and he could just see the glimmer of sympathy in Harry's eyes when he looked up, scratching his wrist as he looked at the house.

“They're going to kill them aren't they?” Draco turned his head, seeing the twitch near Harry's mouth and he let out a sigh, suddenly too tired to fight back.

“You've seen them Draco, they don't- putting them back into the wild is too much of a risk. I. I'm sorry.”

“What about magic?” Draco looked up, a tiny spark of hope still inside him until Harry shook his head again. After his mother's passing and getting rid of almost everything from his old life, he'd stopped using magic for a year. Without his own wand, it had felt wrong anyway and there was a cleanness to doing this in the Muggle way. It took longer, made Draco want to scream in frustration, but somehow he always felt better after he got the job done in the old-fashioned way. Then people had started coming to him for help with their magical creatures and he'd gently learned how to do magic again. With a wand, or without, he hadn't lost his touch but his mark burned anytime he practiced it so he always kept it to the strictly necessary.

Draco let out a sound of disappointment and anger, turning his back towards the house with the abused animals and he rubbed his arms. It wasn't a total surprise, unlike Muggles believed, magic couldn't fix everything, but it still broke his heart.

“Let's get you home, okay? The Ministry will deal with all the rest.” Harry whispered, gently taking his elbow and Draco followed, his body feeling cold and tired. He was so lost in his own thought, he didn't even realize they'd made it back to his flat when Harry gently shook him, eyebrows raised in question.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you were going to be okay, but now I'm not so sure.” Harry's eyes seemed a shade darker and Draco looked around his flat without really seeing, his mind still on the mission and the failure that had happened.

“It really got to you, didn't it?” Harry guided him to the sofa, sitting down next to and taking him in closely as Draco blinked his eyes, swallowing a few times to get rid of the nasty taste in his mouth.

“Of course it does. I'm not heartless.”

_Even if the whole world thinks so._

No matter what he said or did, the papers couldn't portray him as anything less than a monster. Even when his mother had passed, they'd followed him like vultures, ready to find the tinest thing to blow up and print. It had been hard to be the better man and not respond to any of their articles, callouts, taunts and straight up lies. He didn't even say 'no comment', he just kept his mouth shut and kept walking, head held high cause he was still a Slytherin after all. He didn't want to give them the satisfaction of showing how broken and lost he really was.

“I know.” Harry squinted his eyes at him, head slightly tilted and again Draco was surprised by how mature he now seemed.

“How did you get the scar?” Draco gestured towards Harry's right eye. Since the man had shown up on his doorstep he'd been curious about it but there hadn't been a good time to ask. Harry touched it with his fingertips before shrugging a shoulder.

“Nothing spectacular, just an incident at work. I mean, when I was an Auror.”

“Aren't you one now?”

“I'm more a consulting Auror. Just supporting the team, not really getting into the fights anymore.” Harry shrugged again, running a hand through his hair and it was a comfort to see that some things never changed. Harry's hair still looked like a bunch of mice lived there and somehow that made Draco want to curl up and cry. He looked away instead, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, only now noticing how hungry he was but something nagged at his mind, something Harry had just said.

“If you only consult, then why did you come here to ask me to help you?”

“I.” Draco looked back at Harry, seeing the soft blush on his cheeks and his suspicions went as quickly as they'd come. He raised an eyebrow when Harry glanced up at him, even crossing his arms before his chest and Harry gave a tiny, unsure smile.

“I. Well, I wanted to see you.”

“Why?” Draco was sure his surprise was written all over his face and Harry pulled a face when their eyes met.

“Cause I was curious? Because I wanted to see how you were getting on with your life? Because we have a history together?” Harry shrugged a shoulder, his cheeks still flushed and Draco just looked at him. _This is surreal._ The one person he'd hurt the most all these years wanted to see him. Was curious about him and his life and Draco didn't know how to respond to that.

“I was there at the graveyard,” Harry spoke again, his tone soft but there was a tightness near his eyes as if he wasn't sure confessing this was a good idea. Draco's heart skipped a beat, mouth falling open before he could think about it and Harry nodded, a sadness in his eyes.

“I'm sorry, Draco. Nobody deserves a funeral like that.”

“No. They don't.” Draco whispered, no longer able to keep his eyes on Harry and he felt his heart shatter as images of that horrible day came to mind. Nobody had come, it had just been him, the priest, and the remays of his mother in an elegant but also simple coffin. The service, if you could call it that, hadn't been long and he'd been chilled to the bone by the time they'd lowerd the coffin into place. He'd been in doubt about her final resting place but it had been a small comfort, seeing his parents lie side by side now.

“I should have come over to you and paid my respects. I- I just wasn't sure how you would have taken it.” Harry's voice breaks through his memories and to his horror he can feel a tear run down his cheek. Before he can turn his head and hide it, Harry's face falls and a pair of strong arms are wrapped around him tightly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this story ended with chapter 1 but then I found another prompt line and it got away with me. It's also nice to use a prompt line with a 'crime theme' and use it on something else then Sherlock BBC :D


	3. Chapter 3

**\--Chapter 3--**

“What are you doing?”

He wants to sound angry and infuriated, his voice strong and fierce but it comes out as a whisper and the only response he gets is being pressed closer to Harry's solid chest.

“It's called hugging, Draco. It's what friends do.”

“We aren't friends.” It's out of his mouth before he can think about it but by then Harry's let go of him, a hint of sadness in his expression before he buries it down.

“We could be.”

“Why?” Draco blinks, not sure if he's just making this all up or if this is actually happening. “Why would you want to be friends with me. We hate each other.” He gets up, body too tightly wound to sit down, very much aware of how good Harry's arms felt around him.

“We've hated each other since we were 11. Why would you want to be friends now? Have you forgotten what I've done?”

“No.” Harry's voice is stern as he gets up, shaking his head and Draco makes a 'there you go' gesture that the man ignores, already speaking.

“I haven't forgotten, Draco. Just like you can't forget it.” Harry raises an eyebrow in question and Draco averts his gaze, eyes focusing on his bookcase as his heart is pounding inside his chest.

“But that's the past, Draco. You've paid your dues, don't you think you've been punished enough?”

_No!_

His mind is screaming at him, images coming back of all the times he's done something wrong. All the times he didn't stand up to his father and his twisted ways. All the times he ignored the voice in his head, whispering to him that something wasn't right, that none of it was right. Even now he wakes up some nights, cold sweat running down his spine as he leaves with his Mother, turning his back on Hogwarts and the ones brave enough to fight back. Haunted by the ghosts of the victims he helped cause, all because he wanted to be a real Malfoy and make his father proud.

“Draco?” Harry's hand on his shoulder makes him snap out of his haunted memories and the compassion in Harry's eyes makes Draco want to scream in angry and cry in gratitude at the same time.

“I don't deserve it.”

“What?”

Harry's confused expression makes it clear he's said that last thought out loud and he moves, his skin burning where Harry's hand was on his shoulder. He focuses on the books in front of him, touching them with his fingers for comfort. He can't turn around and look at Harry, can't stand the kindness in his eyes and the softness in his voice. He can't turn around and tell this man, this man he's made fun of and ridiculed for years, that he'll never forgive himself.

“Draco.”

“Let go of me!” He snaps when Harry's hand is again on his shoulder, warm, heavy and comfortable. He turns around, a spark of his old fury back when he moves forward and pokes his finger in the man's chest.

“What is this?! What are you doing?! Why did you really come here and ask for my help? Is this some sort of test? Is the Ministry behind this?” Draco's questions fall out of his mouth faster then he can think about them, poking his finger every time in Harry's chest. It infuriates him that the man just stays calm, letting Draco fire questions at him, voice raising till he chokes on his own words and he feels drained and useless.

“Let's sit down, Draco.”

He gasps for air, letting Harry push him down on his sofa, suddenly holding a glass of water in one hand and a clean handkerchief in the other. He gulps the water down like a man dying of thirst, not caring how indignified he looks or that some of the liquid runs down his chin.

“Better?”

He doesn't answer aHarry's qustion, just whiping away the tears on his face and focusing on a point over the man's shoulders, counting to 5 bewteen ever in and outtake of breathe. His eyes feel heavy, mind drained and suddenly he wants to be alone, erase everything that's happened since Harry Potter was at his doorstep and dragged him back into the magical world.

“I don't have an alteriare motive, Draco. I know that's probably hard to believe given our history but I really needed your help and I really was curious about how you're doing.”

“I'm doing great, can't you tell?” He winches as he hears the own sarcasme in his voice but Harry doesn't comment on it.

“It's been hard, for all of us. Have you,” Draco's eyes meets Harry's, seeing the slight hesitation before he finishes his question. “Have you talked to someone? Professionaly I mean?”

“You mean therapy?”

Harry nods and Draco lets out a huff, crumbling the handkerchief in his hand.

“It's not the worst idea in the world, Draco. We all talked to a therapist after the war was over. Me, Hermiony, even Ron.”

“You did?” Draco frowns, not able to imagine what that would look like as Harry nods, his expression kind.

“Felt stupid the first couple of times, not sure what to say. Thinking back on all that's happened wasn't really something I wanted to do but in the end, it did help. Helped me come to terms with some thing, how Dumbledore had treated me, the fact that I died in those woods for a while, the aftermath of it all.”

Harry shrugs a shoulder, an akward smile on his face.

“It doesn't make you weak, Draco. Asking for help.”

“Maybe not in your world.”

Draco looks up, seeing the hint of sadness in Harry's eyes and he sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“Are you hungry?” He rolls his eyes when the man doesn't respond, somehow irritated with himself for asking the question. Giving Harry a reason to stay longer.

“I could eat, yes.”

“Then lets eat.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**\--Chapter 4--**

“This was really good.” Draco can't stop a smile at that, seeing the truth in Harry's eyes when he helps to clean up the table. Dinner had been awkward at first, not knowing what to say but as the food started to settle into their stomachs, some of Draco's nerves had eased and he'd asked about Harry's life. After he'd moved to Muggle London, he hadn't kept up with the wizarding world and he'd cringed when he'd heard the stories of crazy fans, following Harry whenever he stepped outside, people asking for his time and attention.

“Sounds like a nightmare.”

“Sometimes,” Harry had shrugged, taking another bite of the food and letting out another content sigh. “Most of the people are actually nice about it, asking me before they take a picture or shove a notebook in my hands.”

“How is it now?”

“Better. People still recognize me of course, but they just point or nod or something. How about you?”

Draco had taken another sip of his wine, stretching the moment before he needed to answer. There weren't a lot of wizard in Muggle London, but the ones that were all knew who he was, whispering and pointing after him. Some tried hexing him but he'd learned early on to never go outside the house without protection and he'd kept some artifacts from home, magic necklaces and bracelets that stopped most common hexes. The loneliness had mostly been the real problem, realizing he hadn't been as loved as he'd thought. The classmates that were still alive hadn't reached out to him and he'd been too angry and sad to do it himself. To them, he'd always be a Malfoy.

“Will you ever come back?” Harry took a plate to dry off as Draco pulled out a container of ice cream. It had been a stressful day and he needed it. He raised it up in the air in question, Harry nodded almost instantly and Draco went to work.

“Draco,” Harry placed a hand on his shoulder and Draco signed, looking sideways at Harry.

“You're asking too many questions.”

“It's in my nature.” Harry shrugged a shoulder, keeping his eyes on Draco and Draco let out a sigh, pushing the cup with ice cream into Harry's hands.

“No.” Draco let out a huff as Harry's eyes went wide, walking back to the sofa to eat his ice cream, feeling Harry follow him.

“Why would I, Harry. I don't have anything left there except bad memories and a mountain of guilt.”

“That's not true.” Harry stopped when Draco raised an eyebrow at him, instead taking a spoon of his ice cream and the silence settled on them again.

“It's been over 4 years, Draco. People forgive and forget over time. You've proven you're not like your father. People will see that.”

“You're too trusting in human nature, Potter.”

“And you don't believe in kindness enough, Draco.” Draco startled when Harry placed his hand on his, keeping it there for too long and he couldn't keep eye contact. He heard Harry move, placing his ice cream away and his heart skipped a beat when Harry took his ice cream to do the same.

“You're a good person, Draco.”

“Don't,” Draco whispered, shaking his head as Harry took his hand, holding it tightly.

“You are. I know you don't see it. I know you don't believe me but you are. You made mistakes, we all did. It doesn't make you evil, Draco.”

“Stop it.”

“You saved me that day, back in the Mansion. You knew it was me, you knew the instant you saw me and you lied, Draco. It gave us a chance to escape.”

“That means nothing.”

“It means everything,” Harry whispered, leaning closer to Draco and he couldn't move, his heart beating too fast as Harry talked about him. About how good he was, how he'd just been a child, afraid for his family. Trying to escape but not knowing how. Tears were running down his face and he startled when he felt soft lips on his cheeks.

“Harry.”

“It's okay.” Draco shook his head, pulling his hand out of Harry's and blinking his eyes, wiping away the rest of his tears as Harry's hand rested on his shoulder.

“Why are you doing this? Is this a trick?”

“No.” Harry's eyes went wide with disbelief, squeezing Draco's shoulder to stop the man from getting up. “No, I'd never do that to you. I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I just-”

“You just what Harry?!”

“I just felt like kissing you.”

“Well, you shouldn't.” Draco almost spits the words out, pulling away from Harry's grip and getting up. He needs the space, pacing back and forth as he feels Harry's eyes on him, following his every move.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why shouldn't I feel like kissing you?” Harry gets up, a stubborn look in his eyes that makes it clear the man won't drop it and Draco lets out a frustrated groan, running a hand through his hair before throwing them up in the air.

“Because it's me, Harry! Nobody wants to kiss me! I'm a coward and a monster and trust me, you don't want to kiss me. So please, just go and let's pretend that none of this-”

“NO.”

A pair of strong hands stop Draco from going to the door to open it, big green eyes burning into his and suddenly it's hard to breathe. He's standing too close to Harry, feeling the warmth radiate of the man and then suddenly he's against the door, pinned down by Harry's furious stare.

“You are not a monster, Draco! Don't you ever say that again, you hear me!” Harry's voice is loud, his grip firm on Draco's biceps and his whole world freezes, not knowing what to do in this moment.

“You made mistakes, we all have but you are not a monster! I can't pretend any longer, Draco. Please, don't make me.” Harry's volume goes down, whispering near his ear and that's even worse cause he can feel the pain and frustration in it, feel the warmth of Harry's breathe near his earlobe and it turns his knees into jelly, suddenly glad that there's a door to support him.

“I've wanted you for such a long time. We've both changed, Draco. The past is where it should be, behind us. Kissing you, being with you, it feels right.”

Harry's hand cups his cheek and it's then Draco realizes he's crying, Harry's thumb brushing away the beginning tears.

“Look at me. Please, darling.” He's lifting his head before he's even though about it, seeing the raw truth on Harry's face, in the lines around his mouth, in the depths of his green eyes, in the softness of his touch as he brushes away the last of Draco's tears.

“Harry, you c-can't-”

“Shht. Of course I can.” Harry smiles, shaking his head slowly when Draco tries to argue again. It sounds too good to be true. The Boy Who Lived wanting the ex-Death Eather. His mind is screaming at him, trying to make him see sense but it doesn't stop his heart from skipping a beat or two when Harry leans forward slowly, carefully, watching Draco with intense focus.

“Harry.”

“Draco. Darling.”

He can't stop a moan when their lips meet again, tender and soft, so loving it has Draco grab hold of Harry, not sure if he can take so much kindness, so much love. Harry wraps his arms around him, pressing himself against Draco's body, his tongue gently seeking entrance and Draco's cock gives a sign of life when Harry moans into his mouth, their tongues connecting.

“Oh, Draco. Oh, darling.”

Harry whispers in his ear, kissing the shell before pulling back and for one insane moment, Draco is sure it's all been a dream. He opens his eyes, stomach dropping in relief when Harry is still there, standing so close their noses can almost touch and Draco lat's out a half sob/half moan when Harry licks his lips, a tiny smile beginning to form.

“Ask me to stay, Draco,” Harry whispers, thumb once again stroking his cheek and Draco can't keep his eyes open, leaning into the touch, asking for another kiss with his body language. He's out of breath when they pull apart again, body feeling soft and relaxed, his doubt evaporated as he looks into Harry's eyes, letting go of the man to reach out his hand instead. It should feel terrifying but it isn't. He looks at Harry, seeing the joy and surprise in the man's eyes before it changes to something deeper, something primal that makes Draco's blood boil and his heart sing.

“Stay.”

The end.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! 
> 
> It could have been longer but at the time I wasn't in the mood to write smut so I'm leaving it up to you, the reader's imagination. 
> 
> Have a good week and see you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> The title came to me around 10 PM and it sounded brilliant at the time.  
> FULCA:  
> F=forgiveniss  
> U= Understanding  
> L= Love  
> C= Compassion  
> A= Acceptance


End file.
